Print Christmas Card Address Labels From Excel or Google Sheets (Mail Merge)
Writing 60 envelopes by hand takes an evening. Printing labels from a spreadsheet takes about 20 minutes, and next year it takes five. Here is the whole process.
Step 1: Set up the address list
Put everything on the first sheet, with one header row, no blank rows and no merged cells. Microsoft recommends exactly this layout for a mail merge source.
| Greeting | First | Last | Address1 | Address2 | City | State | ZIP | Country | Send |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Smith Family | Anna | Smith | 12 Oak Lane | Springfield | IL | 02134 | USA | Yes |
- Format the ZIP or postcode column as Text (Home > Number Format > Text) before typing, so 02134 doesn't turn into 2134
- Add a Send column with Yes/No so you can filter out people without deleting them. A drop-down list keeps it tidy
- Keep Address2 for flat or apartment numbers. Empty cells are fine
Step 2: Build the name line with a formula
If you want 'Anna Smith' or 'The Smith Family' on the label, make a helper column:
=B2&" "&C2="The "&C2&" Family"To use the Greeting when it's filled in and fall back to the full name when it's empty:
=IF(A2<>"",A2,B2&" "&C2)More joining tricks are in split and combine text. Duplicate addresses? Run remove duplicates on the address columns first.
Step 3: Mail merge the labels in Word
- Save and close the Excel file.
- In Word, open a blank document and go to Mailings > Start Mail Merge > Labels.
- Choose the label vendor and product number printed on the label box (for example Avery US Letter 5160, 30 labels per sheet, or Avery L7160 on UK A4, 21 per sheet) and click OK.
- Click Select Recipients > Use an Existing List, pick your workbook and the sheet.
- Click Edit Recipient List and untick anyone you're skipping, or filter on Send = Yes.
- In the first label, click Address Block (or Insert Merge Field to place fields one by one), then click Update Labels to copy the layout to every label.
- Click Preview Results and check a few labels.
- Click Finish & Merge > Edit Individual Documents to get a normal document you can check, then print.
Print one page on plain paper first and hold it against a label sheet to check the alignment.
Google Sheets route
Google Sheets has no built-in label merge. You have two options:
- File > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx), then follow the Word steps above
- Install a label-merge add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace in Google Docs and point it at your sheet. Check the add-on's permissions and price before you install it
Common problems
- ZIP codes lose leading zeros: format the column as Text and retype the codes, or use
=TEXT(H2,"00000")in a helper column - Only the first label fills: you skipped Update Labels in step 6
- Every label shows the same person: each label after the first needs a «Next Record» field, and Update Labels adds it for you
- Text runs off the label: pick a smaller font size in the first label and update again
- Wrong sheet or blank rows: make sure the data starts in A1 on the first sheet, with no gaps
Quick FAQ
Can I print labels straight from Excel? Not really. Excel holds the list and Word's mail merge prints the labels. Microsoft's own guide uses the same two-step method.
Which label size should I use? Whatever is on your label box. Word lists the product numbers of most major brands, so pick the same number.
Can I reuse the list next year? Yes. Update the addresses, change Send to Yes or No, and run the merge again.
Need dates for posting the cards? See the Christmas shipping deadlines for 2026. Keeping track of gifts too? Try the Christmas budget tracker.
Sources: Microsoft Support: Prepare your Excel data source for a mail merge; Microsoft Support: Create and print mailing labels for an address list in Excel; Microsoft Support: Mail merge using an Excel spreadsheet.